ATHENS, Ga. — The Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is giving Channel 2 Action News an inside look at the investigation into nursing student Laken Riley’s murder.
After Jose Ibarra was convicted of Riley’s murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole, GBI Director Chris Hosey sat down with Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Mark Winne.
Hosey said the investigation wasn’t without a mental and emotional toll on himself and his fellow investigators.
“I think for me, and obviously those investigating it each and every hour during that time frame, was just the brutality of it, the innocence that was lost that day,” Hosey said.
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But once Ibarra was convicted, the GBI director says he felt a sense of relief in that Riley’s family would be able to start the healing process.
“Obviously, the family comes to mind first, family and the friends in the community of Laken and that hopefully this helps in the healing process to move forward,” he described.
Hosey says the first step towards getting that conviction was the fingerprint left on Riley’s phone.
“That was pretty convincing for us,” he said. “Every piece helped put the puzzle together to what happened on that running trail that morning.”
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He added that he was proud of his agents and investigators from other departments, calling it “a team effort.”
“One thing that these agents and investigators did on this case was they didn’t go home when it got dark. They kept working as long as there were investigative acts that could help them get to the conclusion that they got to as fast as they did on this case,” Hosey said.
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